St. Lawrence Church, Kuusalu, Estonia

The Church of St. Lawrence in Kuusalu is considered to be one of the oldest stone churches in Northern Europe. It may have been built originally by the Gotlandish Cistercian monks of the priory of a Roma monastery locating in Kolga. The church was built probably at the end of the 13th century.

The Baroque-style bell tower was erected in 1760. The Neo-Gothic shape of the church originates from the large renovation made in 1890.

There are many historically valuable artefacts in the church like the pulpit, altar, tower clock, chandelier, candle holders and an embossed brass bracket from the 17th century and Eucharistic vessels made of tin.

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Priit Adler (4 years ago)
Tubli pastor

Anatoly Ko (9 years ago)
Kuusalu, Harjumaa, 59.444735, 25.438160 ‎ 59° 26' 41.05", 25° 26' 17.38" Приход Куусалу был основан в начале 13 века в восточной части древнего прихода Репели, в северной части земель, которые находились напротив Кырвемаа. Пасторат или дом учителя является самой ранней постройкой всего ансамбля богатого на постройки. Пасторат Куусалу был построен в период между 1792 и 1798 годом. Изначальные функции постройки были следующими: в церковном крыле находились жилые помещиния (зал, столовая и спальни)пастора и его семьи. В поселковой части находились рабочий кабинт пастора и представительное помещение, семейная комната, комната для обслуживающего персонала и кладовая. В 1940 году постройки прихода были национализированы. В 1941 году в здании пастората находился народный суд Куусалу, в церковной части находились жилые комнаты учителей. В дальнейшем здание использовалось в качестве библиотеку, в качестве музея родного края, часть помещений были зданы и использовались в качестве квартир. С 1990 года здание принадлежит приходу.

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Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

The broch continued to be inhabited while it began to collapse and the original structures were altered. The cistern was filled in and the interior was repartitioned. The ruin visible today reflects this secondary phase of the broch's use.

The site is surrounded by three ditches cut out of the rock with stone ramparts, encircling an area of around 45 metres diameter. The remains of numerous small stone dwellings with small yards and sheds can be found between the inner ditch and the tower. These were built after the tower, but were a part of the settlement's initial conception. A 'main street' connects the outer entrance to the broch. The settlement is the best-preserved of all broch villages.

Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a 'King of Orkney' submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.

At some point after 100 AD the broch was abandoned and the ditches filled in. It is thought that settlement at the broch continued into the 5th century AD, the period known as Pictish times. By that time the broch was not used anymore and some of its stones were reused to build smaller dwellings on top of the earlier buildings. Until about the 8th century, the site was just a single farmstead.

In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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